thank you for your polite and positive advice.
highly appreciated.

 

thank you for all your advice.
got a new battery, had it installed; works great.
but the problem with the spoiler still has not changed.
whatelse could you suggest for a solution?
thanks in advance for all your assistance.

 

Ive been working nearly 12 hours a day this week, my mind is gone. So, let's start over.

What is the history of this symptom? That is, When did it start?

Are there ANY other odd things going on with the car? (AM/FM does funny stuff, head lights flicker at times, engine idles oddly, brakes seem erratic or less effective than usual, warning light(s) on dash come on at times, but go out, I hear a beep or chirp from the instrument panel at times, etc....)

Is there ANY indication that the car once had (or still has) any of these:
... aftermarket sound system items.
... aftermarket remote start kit.
... past accident damage.
.... recent extensive or time consuming service work done at a dealer, body shop, car audio shop or other entity.
... anything that seems different from factory - like odd boxes or modules or such under the hood; wiring that seems to have been 'modified, spliced or "fixed" '.

If the ONLY thing is that the wing keeps going up as soon as you put it down, you are describing something that, in ten years on this forum, I have never heard of. Something is amiss here.

 

thanks again for your effort to help. as i said, is highly appreciated.
the 1st thing: "What is the history of this symptom? That is, When did it start?"
it started this way: when i tried the car i did not watch the spoiler. i was too busy driving it and did not notice when it went up. it was until i returned to the dealer that noticed it up. the only way to get it down was, as i remember, by you suggesting to press the switch that controls it and when reaching the bottom turning the car down, then removing the fuse.
besides this, everything does just fine. no symptoms of anything doing funny.
there is no indication of:
... aftermarket sound system items.
... aftermarket remote start kit.
... past accident damage.
.... recent extensive or time consuming service work done at a dealer, body shop, car audio shop or other entity.
... anything that seems different from factory - like odd boxes or modules or such under the hood; wiring that seems to have been 'modified, spliced or "fixed" '.
thats why i began asking if somebody has had this symptom. i agree that something is amiss, but what?
if we cant find what, we better forget all of this. the car handles like a dream, so i can live with this.
and again, thank you all for your terrific effort to help me.
especially you!

 

i was thinking: what if i leave it up all the time? the other version has a fixed spoiler so why not?
is there any problem doing this?

 

No problem leaving it up, I guess. You just will get water and debris underneath it.

I glanced at the Service Manual and it mentions a safety feature built into the spoiler operation. If something impedes it as it is retracting, then it will go back to the full-up position.
Is it possible that it is sensing some dirt or something that is impeding it that is making it go back up?
Just a wild guess. It wouldn't hurt to look very carefully at the mechanism and degrease the parts that move and then re-lubricate them.

Other than that, I would guess it's something electrical.....

Here's a cut-and-paste from my Service Manual copy. I added the underline and bold to the pertinent sentence....

Page 23-311 of Service Manual
2005 ZH Service Manual Publication No. 81-270-05036

To prevent injury, the rear spoiler retracts in defined steps to allow time to pull any hands or foreign objects that may be in the path of the rear spoiler before it is all the way down. If the rear spoiler gets disturbed while retracting automatically or while retracting manually, the rear spoiler is automatically driven up again and will lock in the up position. During manual retraction, if you let up on the switch, the rear spoiler will be driven to its up position. When retracting the rear spoiler manually, a single audible chime is produced to indicate to the driver that the rear spoiler is in the fully retracted position. A warning signal (LED) on the spoiler override switch illuminates, indicating a mal- function to the driver. A malfunction that prevents the spoiler from deploying illuminates a red warning lamp in the override switch.

 

Strange. I never get a chime when lowering the spoiler manually. Maybe roadsters don't do that ?

 

Now that the battery issue is out of picture...

A possible issue could be the limit down switch on the spoiler mechanism is either defective or out of adjustment.

 

Broken wire or corroded / bad connections at the connectors not telling the BCM the wing is all the way closed.

 

WHAT? Reading the SERVICE MANUAL explains this?
Perhaps THAT is why so many preach, "Want to fix something yourself? Then get the manual(s) out and START READING".

Good find, sir.

 

cleaned spoiler. it was in good condition, almost no dirt, but cleaned it anyway. washed, dried, lubbed with silicon and wd40.
but still no-go. it was good to do it anyway, just to eliminate 1 more possible thing.

 

I'm getting the idea you have a bad limit switch, Phil. I've never heard of one failing in ten years on this forum, but it would make sense.
There is a switch that tells the BCM that the wing is all the way up.
There is a switch that tells the BCM that the wing is all the way down. I'd suspect the "down" one to be the issue.
OR, there is something confusing the BCM, as described in the manual, that is giving the BCM the idea that it CAN'T go down all the way, so it "parks" it in the full up position.


Honestly, in TEN YEARS, I do think this is a first. And you have NO idea, someone may have tried to mod it to stay down or up all the time.
OR, they may have tried to mod some other aspect of the car, and screwed this up. Hard to say, but HERE is an idea - take the cover off the BIG box near the battery. It houses the ECM, BCM and RCM. Has there been any modifications, splices or changes to the wiring that are obvious? (There should be no tape, splices or nonsense in there at all.) What I am getting at, is that, again, many have posted here they want to make the wing stay UP or DOWN permanently. Perhaps you will find an odd little mod in there that explains this.

I SUSPECT that disconnecting the "down" limit switch would give you the symptom, as the motor goes to the full down position, the current would go way up as the motor struggles to keep moving what cannot move anymore, triggering the "put the wing up" routine described in the service manual. This means someone disconnected the down switch OR the switch is simply bad. If they disconnected it, it would be easiest to do that in the box under the hood - that is what I am getting at.

You sure brought us a good one................................ lucky you.

 

fyi, my 2008 Roadster beeps after the spoiler is fully retracted manually.
steve

 

Are there any codes? Could be something with the BAS/ESP, wheel speed sensors, maybe the brake light switch down under the dash; Though the warning light should be turned on in this case it isn't?

There is NO ADJUSTMENT to the limit switch back near the spoiler motor. That switch is locked into position. The cam on the big gear moves the arm on the switch. Now the switch could be bad, but there is no adjustment.

 

to bring the spoiler down i have to press the switch with the engine running. it goes down making momentary stops about every 2 seconds. when reaches the bottom i turn the key left and then it remains down.
when i turn the key right and the lights come on, it does not move. neither when i start the engine and begin to roll. it is until i reach 30 kph (18 mph) that it goes up.
(perhaps this could be a hint that you guys may find of use)
and yes, as pizzaguy says, am very lucky, because i get this terrific support from you guys.

 

30 mph ? I think mine doesnt come up till 60, i leave mine up all the time so not really sure. When it comes up at 18 mph does it stay up or does it goes back down when you go at slower speeds. Id like it coming up at 18 is there a setting for this ?

 

i said it goes up when reaches 30 kph=18mph. it stays there. even if i stop.

 

A clear indication of a bad battery.

Normal operation.

Ok, the symptom changed, Phil. This is not what you stated when you started the thread; THAT is why we advised a new battery, it also sent us in the "bad limit switch" direction. Had you stated it this way, since it is going up 44 mph too soon, I'd still have suggested the battery, but this sounds more like someone has re-mapped the BCM for a lower speed.

Now, since you say it does not do down automatically (this should occur at around 32 mph), with it going up at 18, I am thinking you should attend a "tech day" in you area and trade BCMs with another car for a test drive. If the symptom moves to the other car, you need a BCM. If the symptom stays with your car, its an ECM/ABS/wheel speed error.


LET THIS BE A LESSON TO ALL: Being very descriptive and accurate is a must. We are not standing next to your car, you are. The symptom-function troubleshooting method depends 100% on a TOTALLY ACCURATE description of the symptom. We cannot think our way thru the system if we do not realize exactly what the car is doing.

I wish there was a way to copy this thread to Facebook, cause a lot of lost souls over there do not understand this.

 

yes i saw what you said. Mine doesnt go up till around 60. My question was incase it wasnt clear, id like mine to come up around 18 also is there an adjustment for that

 

from post 38:
the 1st statement was:
"when i bought the car, and since then, at the moment of turning the key the spoiler goes up and does not go down unless i press the switch, but as soon as i release it, goes up.
the only way to see it down is lowering it with the switch and turning the key left and remove it. but as soon as i turn it right it goes up. "
when i said: "turning the key" or "turn it right"i meant starting the engine. at the time i did not realize that it was not clear, and am sorry for that.
the 2nd statement says: "to bring the spoiler down i have to press the switch with the engine running. it goes down making momentary stops about every 2 seconds. when reaches the bottom i turn the key left and then it remains down." again, i meant "turn the engine off". again, did not realize i was not making that clear.
the 3rd statement is right.
at the time i did not realize that it created a wrong impression. it is until now that you present the 3 and tell it that i understand.
now, with this clarified, what this that i recently mentioned about the 30 kph means?